Malta joins majority of UN members recognising Palestine

Malta has officially joined the majority of United Nations members in recognising the state of Palestine, a decision it had deliberated for many years.

The announcement was made during a UN meeting in New York, where Prime Minister Robert Abela described the decision as historic, even though approximately 155 out of 190 UN member states have already recognised Palestine.

Malta’s expected recognition came shortly after influential countries like the UK, Canada, and Australia announced their decisions regarding Palestinian statehood. This paved the way for smaller nations, such as Malta, which may have hesitated to confront Israel, to take this significant step.

Along with Malta, Andorra, Belgium, France – a permanent member of the Security Council – Luxembourg, Monaco, and San Marino also made similar recognitions.

Although this gesture is largely symbolic and does not change the situation on the ground, it sends a strong political and moral message of support to the dispersed Palestinian people around the world. It is also viewed as a call to action in efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Conversely, Israel interprets this surge in UN member states recognising Palestine as support for the terrorist organisation Hamas in its conflict against Israel’s existence.

The United States remains the only permanent member of the UN Security Council that does not recognise Palestine.

Unofficially, Malta was always perceived by the international community as pro-Palestine, particularly during the Labour administration of Dom Mintoff and when former PN Deputy Prime Minister Guido De Marco led the Foreign Office.